


Pirate AU

by RijuRambles



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: ALL THE BOYS - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Pirate, And Zelda is Bad Guy, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Aqua Blaze and Forest are the TFH Links, Arguing, Blood and Injury, But i figured to tag Styla Zelda and Midna as they are mentioned a lot in general, Canon-Typical Violence, Catch Riju Rambling In The Tags, Confusion, Distrust, Dreams and Nightmares, Especially Legend, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fighting will come later on but as a warning, Four is called Minish, Gen, His name isn't Four in this au but it's technically the same guy, How Do I Tag, I need to know how to tag them all fhfh, I'll take new characters as they're expected to appear, I'm Bad At Tagging, Minish is chaotic and the gang is sus of him, Or Spirit, Sadly no Hyrule in this au, Styla is hecking great, That One Cave, The Ganon and Villian gang is also here but they aren't nessacarily bad guys, There Will Be Dark Themes Later On, There isn't anything major in the way of violence that i have planned, This isn't Canon since it's an AU but still i should say this, Twi can't catch a break, Wild is here but he's VERY different from LU intereptation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28354377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RijuRambles/pseuds/RijuRambles
Summary: A collection of fics making up my pirate AU. Linked Universe inspired, but not nessacarily a Linked Universe AU.This will probably be a very, very long work over time.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 10





	1. Instability

Time was, in all honesty, nervous. 

He is not usually nervous, but here we are.

First of all, there was this week. They'd been stressed out of their minds lately. What with Zelda's fleet figuring out their harbor location, and all. Not to mention having to regroup at the crack of dawn just so they could get out of there, along with having to take turns steering all night plus watches. He's the one that had to coordinate all of that, and it was not fun. He can't imagine what it's like for poor Captain, though. Figuring out that the spot he'd hidden so well had been caught so easily. Having to fight to protect his crew - no, family. And who knows if they'll ever be able to visit the Castle again? He knows Legend gets worried being so far away from Styla. What of all the things they had to leave behind? Will they ever get those back? That place was their home for such a long while. He....must not be adjusting well. As a knight, Time was always trained to be adaptable. This was nothing. He knew to only carry around what he needed most, and to be able to leave at any time. Twilight, however?

The kid has always been stuck in one place. His own house is here. Well, if you can call it a house - he certainly feels that it is. He thought that he had everything put together. Having that unraveled so easily has made him - less than calm. Time is worried sick. He's been trying his best not to think about it, to simply try and get them stabilized, but the fact is that stabilizing this is going to take a while. They're all a bit shaken up. As a knight, it's his job to keep them together. No, as quartermaster, he reminds himself. He's the one that's supposed to be running the ship while Twilight isn't well. He certainly hasn't been doing his job, at least not well, because the crew is still just...tired.

He feels Windy prod at his back. "Time," He yawns weakly. "Yes?" "I don't want to do watch. I'm.....I'm really tired." Windy shakes his head, almost ashamed. The sailor shouldn't have to be ashamed for being tired. He's just a kid, and through all this, he doesn't blame him. But unfortunately, someone has to do it. "I'm sorry, Windy. I know it's hard, but it's your turn for now." He sighs, holding the kid's shoulder. "But I'll fall asleep, and something bad will happen. I know it will." Windy confesses, looking up at him. Ah...dark marks from not sleeping. Windy's right - he'll probably pass out. "It's okay. I'll take your watch." Time nods. Windy's eyes well up with relief, but then concern. "You've already taken a watch tonight, though." He tilts his head. "I know." Time replies. "Aren't you tired too?" Windy asks. "No, I'm fine." Time lies. Windy doesn't see. "Alright.....thank you, sir." Windy is starting to sound really drowsy. He watches him go back belowdeck, making sure he doesn't crash on the way there. 

Time heads to his own post, wobbling slightly on his feet, but it's fine. He can handle this. 

To his surprise, it's Legend that meets him there.

"Hey, what are you doing up this late? Your watch ended two hours ago." Time blinks, hitting the realization. "We needed some extra things for tomorrow, and no one else wanted to fix them, so I've been working on it. But...There is another thing," Legend is without his usual humor, which is never a good thing. "Mhm?" Time nods, looking out towards the sea to start off his work. "Cap wanted to see you," He informs. Ah. That is also never a good thing. 

"Why didn't he send for me directly?" Time asks. Surely he could've just walked up if it was urgent. "Dunno. I didn't ask." Legend shurgs. Understandable. Usually it's best not to ask questions, especially considering their circumstances. 

The night s ky gleams overhead. Clusters of stars twinkle brightly, despite the dire situation. Darkness threatens to envelop each one, and yet they stay put. He smiles. Perhaps if the stars can do it, then so can they.

And then there was The Door. 

Hylia, he felt like he was about to give a report to a commander again. 

Time swallowed his fear - he wasn't sure _why_ it was fear, heck, Twi is probably more scared of him, but it is - and opened the hatch. 

Twilight seemed to be fidgeting with his notes. He always keeps records of things - perhaps he wants to have evidence in an argument, or maybe it's his paranoia, or maybe he's just a particular guy. Unsurprisingly, however, said records are strewn about over the desk, and judging by the position, he can say with certainty that Twilight is probably not having a good day. The boy notices him and moves to sit properly in his chair. "Have I done something wrong, sir?" Time asks instantly. "I'm not sure. And that's the problem." Twilight sighs.

Time sits down as well, seeing Twilight's insecurity even closer now. To the untrained eye he seems completely emotionless - but Time knows that's a facade, because he has _seen_ what Twi is really like. He's a passionate little kid who cares deeply about his friends and is rooted in a sense of trust. Uncertainty brims in the air without either having to do a thing. If he's the one responsible for making Twilight worry, then he doesn't know if he could handle it. It was his job to take care of him. Time's face bears no sign of feelings either, refusing to show anxiety before him. Not his Captain. 

"Sometimes you tend to say things that shock me, Time. Usually in order to get me to cease what I am doing. However, as the frequency of these is on the rise - I cannot help but start to question you." Caculated words fall out slowly. He'd obviously been planning what to say here. Twilight always does that whenever possible. He can't bear the possibility of saying something incorrectly. 

Time does not say a word, in stark contrast. Silence always seems to be his better option. Twilight continues. 

"As you are ever truthful, it becomes difficult to tell whether you are joking or not. It's my job to assume the worst." He does not break eye contact the whole time. Scarcely breathes, even. Twilight is - well, he's right. Time was always trained to never tell a lie. It's definitely a weakness with his current occupation, but he can't get rid of the habit now. "What exactly did I say, sir?" Time asks.

"Something about threatening to rejoin Zelda's army." His guard drops for a second. Time spots it, and then the walls come back up instantly. It's the first time he's heard his voice waver in months.

Time feels guilt creep into him at every angle. 

He never meant any of those. He just.....he didn't want Twilight to lose it. If his anger got the best of him, then who knows what could've happened! He...he can't blame himself. Right?

"It's regrettable to have to be saying this, but - your loyalty is starting to become questionable. I need you to tell me whose side you're on. Not because of nessecity, or pressure, but what you really think. Please." Twilight sighs, laden with anxiety. Time can tell he doesn't want to lose his mentor. But Twilight is a smart kid - he wants to know the truth, no matter how hard it is. Even if he knows he can't handle it.

No words are exchanged for what feels like hours. Twilight still traces him like a hawk, checking any sort of sign. In truth, it's almost frantic. He doesn't want to be left in limbo forever. 

"I'm sorry," is the first thing he says. 

He feels Twilight solemnly accept a false truth. 

His full sentence is "I'm sorry you ever had to doubt me, Twilight.".

And that's when Twilight's walls come crumbling to the ground.

"I would never abandon you. When I came here, I made a promise, and as you've just said, I am truthful. It's my place to be here with you and the rest of the crew. And I love being here. You have excellent crewmates, and I care for them so much. I should have never said anything like that, even as a joke, and I will accept any punishment you see fit."

Twilight - oh Hylia - cries.

The brunette fights against the liquid forming at his eyes with everything he has, and yet, they continue to fall. "I'm sorry." Twilight repeats his words like a student. "I'm sorry I was ever foolish enough to think that." He finishes, and oh, Time can feel him start to absolutely lose it. The quartermaster rises from his seat and circles the table, then holds onto Twilight as tight as he can.

It's the only shred of stability they have left. Trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Riju here. I'm glad you got here! As of writing this, it's the first chapter of this fic. Since this is an AU, and I'm inexperienced with tags in general, it would be great if you could tell me how to better tag this! As a warning there will probably be more intense moments later on. Also, please tell me what you think of my interpretations! I haven't ever written in Time's perspective before. If you would like a better explanation of the au as a whole, I would be happy to add an introductory chapter with some info! I've had this au for ages and finally got around to writing it. Thank you again for reading!


	2. Epic Explaination Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riju offers info on what the heck is going on.

Hello! Riju here. I understand that you might be disappointed that this isn't a chapter, but I wanted to clear up a bit of confusion that you may or may not have had.

\- Not really a LU AU  
I've had this AU long before I came across LU, so it's not exactly a Linked Universe AU. But I will say that I have adapted aspects from Jojo's intereptations. 

\- Character Names  
TP Link - Twilight  
Oot Link - Time  
HW Link - Warriors   
Alttp, LA, Oos/Ooa, ALBW Link - Legend   
WW, PH, ST Link - Windy   
SS Link - Sky  
MC Link - Minish  
TFH; Blue Link is Aqua, Red Link is Blaze, Green Link is Forest 

\- Characters   
Basically, the whole plot of the au is that there are three ships/fleets, representing the Triforce. There's Twi's crew with all the Links, representing Courage. Ganon's Crew, with Ganondorf, Zant, Ghirahim, Yuga, Hilda, Majora, Vaati, and Bongo Bongo, representing Power. Finally Zelda's Crew, which doesn't really have defined members except for her, but may include Impa or Wild, representing Wisdom. General concensus is that Twi and Ganon's crew = good guys and Zelda's crew = bad guys since Zelda's crew is trying to arrest both. Twi and Ganon's crew are rivals. There's also a lot of neutral or ally characters. Notable mentions are Styla, Midna, and I think maybe Ravio. Other characters like Cheryl are only important in the present day, which I haven't written as of yet, so I won't explain them now.

\- Backstory   
I don't want to spoil much, since I want to explore each character's backstories in their own chapters, but here are a few things. 

The order that the Links joined Twi's crew is:   
Legend, Time, Warriors, Sky, Windy, Aqua/Blaze/Forest, Minish. Legend is the first to join and Minish is the last, in short. 

Midna did join the crew temporarily. 

Both Legend and the Triforce Heroes worked for Styla before they joined, and Time used to be on Zelda's side.

Legend, Warriors, and Twi are all besties. Time is Twi's mentor. Minish is Legend's rival. Sky and Windy are besties. The TFH Links are all besties as well. As for love interests, the only confirmed one I have is Midna, but I prefer most of the au to be platonic friendships anyways. 

As thanks for your time, please have some incorrect quotes as content.

Warriors, introducing a prisoner to the ship: _MUAHAHAHA_. Welcome to TILTED TOWERS. My name is _looks at smudged writing on hand_ Memphis, Tennessee. And I'm part lizard. 

Legend, Warriors and Twi: You know we had to do it to em.  
Time; ???????

Time: Can you read this list for the crew?  
Warriors: No I cannot.  
Warriors: What up, I'm Wars, I'm 19, and I never hecking learned how to read!  
This vine is even BETTER because pirate au Warriors is canonically 19 AND does not know how to read

Legend: looks like the sign says we aren't allowed in. What do you think, Wars?  
Warriors: that sign won't stop me because I can't read!

Zant: Sup shorties  
Minish: _gasp_ what did you say?!  
 _Legend playing classical music as Aqua, Forest, Blaze, Windy and Minish totem time on top of eachother to be as tall as Zant, then proceeding to slap him_

Time; Can you do something for me?  
Legend and Warriors: of course!  
Time: .......can you do a good job at it?  
Legend and Warriors: Whoa, whoa, you're changing up the whole deal there!

Warriors: Top 30 reasons why Wars is sorry. Number ten will suprise you!  
Time, who just got woken up from his nap: TOP TEN ANIME DEATHS - YOUR FRICKIN ARSE RIGHT NOW

Windy, in a full metal suit during a thunderstorm: What is this game called?!  
Legend: DEATH. IS.  
Warriors: **IMMINENT!!**

Twi: The first time I got invited to anything was when the police sent out a warrant for my arrest.  
Time: 

Sky: I'm in Windy's sailboat! Vroom Vroom ~  
Windy: Get out me boat!  
Sky: Aww....

Thank you for listening to my shenanigans.


	3. Captain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Twilight recalls a few memories at an inconvenient time.
> 
> Possible Trigger Warning: This chapter is a lot more emotionally heavy than the others.

Darkness. 

Inky black surrounded him for what felt like miles, stretching out over every corner of his vision, if he even had vision - he wasn't sure if he was seeing. 

And then, a crash. 

A single, piercing noise jolted him awake, then echoed out through his ears until finally quieting. 

For a second, Twilight thought that was The Gunshot. 

It was not, thank Hylia above. He wouldn't have to relive that again. 

Blurred eyes refocused onto his hands, which proceeded to feel the area around where he was sitting, clenching on and grounding himself. His breathing settled, although a new pain seemed to have joined in. He remembers what happened. Ah. Where that blade grazed his side. It's not the worst he's had, thankfully. Not the best either. He tries to move and it does not end well. Well, that's fine. He'll get used to it. It's just sore.

Twilight is stuck on bedrest, if he remembers Sky correctly. But then the ground - rather, water - beneath the ship trembles, and he realizes what's going on. Turning to look out the window - ow - he sees bright white flashes grow closer while storm clouds swirl above. Thunderstorm. Great. 

Another quake leaves the items on the shelves shaking, and he slams back into the headboard. Of course it's a thunderstorm. It had to be a thunderstorm. Literally nothing else could've happened. 

Well, bedrest will have to wait. He's helping his boys, and now.

Twilight doesn't even bother with putting on his overcoat, he just stands up and dashes out the door, despite how he feels his skin tearing. Feet pound against creaking wood, a door slams open, and rain crashes onto his face. "Legend!" Twilight calls, waving as he approaches. "Cap?!" Legend seems almost surprised by him showing up. "Alright, what's the situation-" He instantly takes hold of one of the ropes, looking up towards the sky to judge the intensity. High winds, not much rain, but a lot of lightning. "What're you doing?!" Legend blinks, nearly letting go of his own rope. "Helping!" Isn't that obvious? He would never just let them do this on their own. "You're hurt! Sky said you should be in bed!" He exclaims, regaining position. "And I say I should be out here." Twilight shrugs. "Okay, well Cap - our anchor got unhooked, somehow, and we've been blown off course. At least that's what Wars said." Legend sighs, realizing the bed thing is a fight he won't win. 

"We redirect into the eye of the storm," Twilight replies instantly, watching the clouds as the rain pours. "Once we get there, we go full stop and cut the sails free, and that should allow us to wait there until it passes." He holds a hand up towards the mast, judging how hard of a task that would be already. Difficult. But they can do it. "Who else is awake?" Twilight scans the ship. "Wars, Windy, and Minish. I couldn't get Time or Sky up - they sleep like rocks." Legend rolls his eyes at the last part. He doesn't know how those two do it - Twilight has never really willingly gone to sleep. 

"Okay. We're fine." They were not, in fact, fine.

"Haven't heard from the Heroes. I just grabbed who I could and got back up here." He reports. "Aight. Warriors is on wheel. Minish, you go get the other sails. Me and Legend handle this one." Twilight feels anxiety well up with each roll of thunder. Lightning always attracts to the highest place. And what about Windy? Where...where..where was Windy?

Twilight looks up to the lookout. A tuft of blonde hair peers over the edge. Oh, oh no. Windy wears a bit of metal. Metal attracts lightning. Oh, oh no. He realizes it all too late and _why is he up there and_ **oh no oh no oh no oh no-**

"WINDY!!"

Twilight screams. 

Light flashes down in an instant, engulfing the platform in brilliant white light. 

He didn't move. 

Why didn't he move?

Was it so paralyzing, being up there? Did he know it was coming? Had Windy, at the age of thirteen, accepted death seconds before it got him?

More importantly, why didn't he, Twilight, move?

If he had noticed it quicker, then he could've- could've gotten up there and gotten him down. Could've yelled for him to jump and had caught him safely in his arms. Could've saved him.

He just....watched. 

What in hell is WRONG with him?

If he could've saved him, then why didn't he do it?!

Then....then why didn't he do it?

"Then do it."

The area all around him morphs and twists, the dark storm clouds rushing down to the ground, forming stone cold walls not fit to be on the place of a wooden ship. Iron bars blocked him from a horrid man, with a voice that echoed into his soul. 

"Then do it."

The ragged man repeated, smirking. 

"If you hate me so much, then just get rid of me right now." Wild. A name befitting for the chaos that is before him. How this man became a general in the army, he has no clue. Twilight stands still, refusing to dignify him with an answer. "I know you're capable of it. I've seen you fight." The prisoner compliments, as if trying to coax him through backwards thinking. 

"I don't recall giving you permission to speak." Twilight finally responds, stance still rigid against the wall. 

"You didn't. But I don't follow your orders, Captain." 

Wild has absolutely no right to be using that name. He has _absolutely_ no right to be using that name. 'Captain' is for his crewmates and his crewmates only. Comparing himself to them is like comparing Demise to Hylia. And oh, by Hylia is he pissed. What Wild had said before shall not be said here, but you should know that every word enraged him, little by little. It's been building, this whole conversation. He's been trying to shove it down for so long. But now it shows itself again.

"DO NOT. _EVER._ **CALL ME THAT AGAIN.** "

Twilight snaps. He turns on his heels, facing Wild and simply letting it flow. He felt himself physically _seething_ , his throat burning as he yelled out every syllable. He let himself burn, let his body set itself on fire as he rang out his ear cry. Even in the dead silence after the outburst, there is still more inside him, fizzling, bubbling to the top, ready to be released. 

The word "Captain" has never been uttered in that room ever since. 

Apparently, Wild does follow his orders.

The scene changes once again, the dark cell exploding with color and transforming into a wonderful golden brown, the familiar color of the fields. A small farmhouse sits on the edge of rows of crops, humble, it isn't much but it's something, and it's their everything. 

"Hey, Twi?" The kid looks up at him as he grabs his woven bags. 

"Yeah, Colin?" Twilight smiles, immediately turning his attention to his brother.

"When do you think you're gonna be back? After this trip, I mean." Colin asks, brushing the golden hair out of his face. "I don't know. It's gonna be a while, 'm sorry." Twilight sighs. It's true. He has no idea how long this trip to the city is gonna take. "It's okay. It's just...lonely without you here. You're like the captain of a ship. You always take the lead...I'm a little lost without you." Colin shrugs, trying to express his concern. "I guess so. Is that my new name, Captain?" Twilight chuckles. "It can be!" His brother's face lights up. 

They don't have much, but they have eachother, and that's okay.

"Well then, once I come back, I'll be a Captain. I'll have my own crew - and you can have the best of friends." He decides proudly. "Aye aye! I'll be waiting, then!" Colin laughed. 

Later that night, the two said their farewells. 

He would've said something else if he knew it would've been his last words to him.

And he did come back. As a captain, just as he said. 

But Colin wasn't there to see it. 

He couldn't do anything about it.

...........

........

.....

...

.

And then, he wakes up. 

Senses cloud his mind, thoughts rampaging, so many things he needs to know. Part of it was true. But maybe there's one thing he can reverse. 

He spots Sky standing at the door. 

"Oh, you're awake! I was wondering when-" "Where's Windy?" Twilight said instantly, at such a rapid pace it was barely understandable. 

"Uh....outside? I think he's messing around with Aqua." Sky blinked, confused. "Is it thundering?" Is his next question. "No, sir. Are you alright?" The sleepy head gets more concerned with each one. "I'm fine." He is not, in fact, fine. "I was just gonna check up on your wound to make sure it was okay - did something happen?" Sky asks carefully. 

"I just.......I just...." Twilight pauses, inhaling sharply. "I had a bad dream." 

"Do you want to talk about it?" "No."

"That's okay. Well, get some rest, Captain."

The words sound so much nicer coming from a dear friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEHEHHEHEE IT'S ANGST TIME  
> I'm back on my making Twi suffer bs and it's great!  
> So! You probably have a Lot of questions! I will be happy to answer them all in the comments. I had a lot of fun writing this even though I had trouble coming up with ideas. Thank you again for reading!


	4. Flashback I (The Kid In The Cave)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a new member is added to Twilight's crew.
> 
> This is a flashback chapter! It technically takes place before the chapter titled "Captain", but I wanted to not ruin the angst of said chapter or overshadow it, so these flashback are not gonna be placed chronologically. However I will tell you when they take place in relation to other chapters.

It has been a long, long day. 

Walking. Walking. 

And walking some more.

Having been chased off his ship was one thing, but having to retreat to this place was another.

He hears Windy collapse behind him. Whipping around, he rushes to support the kid. "S-sorry Cap. I'm not used t' walking...." The blonde mumbles, nearly unintelligible through tired lenses. "Hey, it's okay, don't apologize. We're all tired." Twilight smiles, picking up the kid and handing him over to Time. He seemed the least tired of all of them - perhaps even that was a facade, but he was trained for long marches in the army. Ah.....Windy looks so happy being piggybacked around. Wish someone around here was strong enough to do that with him.....his knees feel like they're going to fall apart. Honestly, being on the boat has spoiled him a bit. He used to run this distance every day, sometimes even all the way from the castle. Then again, they had to make a very quick escape back then, so he's not surprised why he's this sore. Not to mention when that sword grazed his side - but rest will come later. He's the Captain, and it's his job to be strong for the rest of them.

Besides, his speciality is not falling asleep.

"Are we close?" Sky asks, walking beside Warriors, who has an arm around Legend. "Actually -" He blinked, recognizing the area in front of him. "We're here." Twilight smiled, turning around to his group. The sigh of relief has just swept through all of them, and he can hear Legend proclaim "Finally!". Thank Hylia. "Okay, a few words before we head in. There should be enough room for everyone, but we've got to remember not to move anything around if we want this to work. And of course, the same rules apply here as they do on the ship. I promise, as soon as we get in, we can all go to bed." He explains, trying to stir some energy within them. Nothing. He gets a resounding "we know" from Warriors and Legend, to which he rolls his eyes. Alright, then.

He turns his attention back to the lock. Luckily, he knows every lock in this place like the back of his hand, after all he and Legend built them together. It opens with no trouble. Twilight sighs wistfully, happiness welling up as he moves to open the door. "Home sweet hom— **HUH?!** " Oh. Oh no. Someone's in there. Nevermind his small voice crack at the revelation. This is far more important. 

Legend and Warriors flinch behind him, the taller of them rushing forward to check the scene. Time slowly lets Windy down from his shoulders so he can go investigate as well, but continues to hold his hand.

The Heroes' Totem Time breaks, and the pillar comes crashing down on them. The trio take a moment to check if they're each okay before deciding to stay on the ground. They'd been rotating who was the walker on the totem - honestly, that's one of the smartest moves Twilight can think of to combat weariness. 

"What are you doing in here?!" Twilight staggers backwards slightly, feeling Legend catch him as he dashes towards the door to see. "What are _you_ doing here is my question?! I locked the door from the inside!" The kid yells back, startled. Legend and him exchange stares, and so Twilight takes it upon himself to try and figure out the child's appearance.

The boy's hair is unkempt, forming into small curls at the points that it pokes out from his head. It almost appeared as if he'd been wearing a hat before. Golden, fluffy shoots part into floppy sections, one of which threatens to cover his eye. He almost looks like Windy, or even Blaze, perhaps - if only they took less care of their hair. In fact, as the Hero trio pokes their way inside the door, he can see some of them look between him and themselves suspiciously, almost as if the kid is their impostor. He wears a cape similar to Time's, although his hood is cone shaped. Other than that, he borrows most of his appearance aspects from Forest and Windy, except for the strange symbols on the bottom half of his tunic, replacing Windy's island patterns. They appear to be color-coded to something, although what, he has no idea. 

His eyes are muddy brown, with what seems to be hints of red, blue, green and purple are present. That's....a bit strange. The colors have all mixed together to form it, but from a distance, it's just brown. They are nice to look at, though.

Back to the topic of his _damn house being occupied even though he should have no idea how to open those locks_ , however. 

First of all, this room is _not_ how he, Legend and Warriors left it. He notices immediately the issue of his side of the room, which has had absolutely everything moved. The...table doesn't go there. It's kinda starting to bother him, but he's not overly neat like Time. Legend's old smithing tools are out of their box, which implies that the new kid actually uses them. Or maybe they just needed the box for place. Who knows, honestly. Twilight sees Warriors scanning the room for his prized sword - ah yes, the good old Veteran. That thing had seen many battles, and much deserved its place on the rock face wall. Unfortunately, it is nowhere to be found. Wait...no, no, that's not - oh. Warriors physically tenses, and now he figured out why. Veteran is placed on the kid's hip, now dirtied with dust and mud. It hasn't been cleaned in a while. Oh, Warriors is gonna have some _words_ about this, he can already tell.

"It-" "It's our house, I'd think we'd know a workaround for a simple lock!" Twilight stutters, but Legend finishes his sentence. Right - Twilight knows every lockpicking trick in the book, and Legend knows them enough to make the blasted things. Warriors is - strong enough to bust through most locks. A door is no barrier to them. "Your house? You can't be serious." The kid blinks, placing his hands on his hips. "We were here first!" Warriors backs them up. "Yeah, and I found it, and it was abandoned. Finders keepers." He shrugs. Oh. He...actually can't argue with that. They use the finders keepers policy all the time, except in their case, it's called a heist. 

The gang files into the room, Sky and Time looking at eachother almost nervously, as they sense the annoyance brewing from both sides. Windy's still stumbling, but the trio is in a cluster beside him, so they steady his footsteps. Warriors and Legend are probably contemplating when they get to punch the kid. He can't blame them. Though, it is a tempting option. "Who are you guys, anyways?" Actually, now that everyone's here, he gets a picture of just how small the kid is compared to the rest of them. He's around Blaze's height, who is the smallest one he team. Perhaps a few inches taller, at most. Time decides to use his peacemaker role and introduces them for him. "I'm Time. This is Captain Twilight, and that's Sky, Legend, Warriors, Windy, Aqua, Blaze, and Forest." He points to each one. 

He almost seems to perk up at the word captain. "But I'm Captain Green -" he mumbles, picking up on the quiet speech easily as he'd done it many times himself. Green? And he thought he had a strange name. Well, actually, it's a nickname. All of these are nicknames. But he'd abandoned his true name long ago, so he need not speak of it. 

"I'm, uh - I'm Minish." He lies. But they all have reasons for not liking their real names, so it doesn't matter.

Names are irrelevant. What he wants to know is the person behind it.

Legend is meticulously tracking each of his old tools with his eyes, counting every one. He exhales deeply after he reaches the end of the table - looks like he found all of them. Warriors, however, is deeply offended by the newfound chips in his war sword that he retired ages ago. That thing isn't supposed to see battle anymore. It had enough blood on its metal to begin with. "Give it back," the blonde suddenly announces, glaring downward at Minish. "Give what back?" Minish doesn't flinch. "The sword. It's not yours." He clarifies, though Twilight is sure literally everyone in here knows what he's talking about. They've all heard stories of the magnificent Veteran - the blade that had suffered tooth and nail with him. It's time it was returned to him.

"Like I said, finders keepers." Minish huffs. "What do you want with this place, anyways?" 

Warriors looks like he's about to break something. Legend is standing next to him, though, so he can't break anything without getting through him. However, Legend also probably wants to break something. Twilight has a bad feeling about this. 

"We need to sleep here for a while. Do you have a problem with that?" Twilight adds in professionally, finally deciding to speak up. "Yes, I do." Minish replies instantly. Twilight frowns. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. He looks between his members. Legend and Warriors are all for forcing their way in, he knows that, so he gazes towards Sky and Time. They'd probably want to sort this out peacefully. Windy - poor kid - is tired out of his mind. He looks like he's going to pass out. Whichever side gets him a bed first is probably the one he's siding with. Aqua, Blaze and Forest all seem to have different opinions on the matter, and are in a group huddle of their own trying to figure out what the best option is. 

"Listen, I know you're living here and all, but it was our cave first and-" "Your cave was lousy. I fixed it, so it's mine now." Minish doesn't even let him finish. Legend and Warriors gasp at the same time as soon as they hear lousy, but neither are sparked to take action. However, Twilight is.

Twilight _found_ this place. Twilight made all the beds. Twilight crafted each of the original passageways. He lived here. He laughed here. He bled here. He and his friends met here. 

This isn't Minish's hecking cave.

"You take that back," He steps forward, one hand resting on the sword at his side. 

Time reflexively decides it's his time to step in when Minish's nonchalant reply is "No.".

His mentor blocks him physically whilst Sky stands at Minish's side. Minish looks a little confused - was it possible that he didn't know what was about to happen? Time puts a hand on his shoulder, trying to stable him. "We're all very tired. Let's not jump to conclusions." He has no idea how Time can think clearly, especially when Minish is being a brat about everything, but he decides not to focus on that part. "You like kids, don't you?" Time asks suddenly, and Twilight already knows he's about to be subject to one of his talks. You know, the talks - those ones that logic you so hard that you feel stupid about what you thought before. "I don't like this one." Twilight grumbles. He realizes arguing is not a good idea, but again, they are all very tired. 

"But can you blame him for seeking shelter in this place? Is that not what you did, when you first settled here?" "It's just - it's my house." Twilight rubs at his temples. "We haven't been here in ages. Of course it'd change a little." Time smiled. "Not like this, it wouldn't." He refuses to look happy about this. Angry, sure, he could hold that down. But he was not going to be pleased about the fact that the ten year old is winning. 

"Work it out." Time shrugs, letting him go as Twilight's hand falls free from the handle. "You should listen to your dad." Minish chuckles. "HE'S NOT MY DAD!!" He explodes immediately. And Minish _laughs_. Oh, he is SO lucky Time is so nice. He is SO lucky he actually listens to his mentor. Twilight breathes deeply, giving Time the "You Win, for now" look. Time smirks, if only slightly. 

He, Legend, and Warriors are still united in not liking this arrangement. But they'll deal with it.

.....

"Okay, is that everything?" Twilight stifles a yawn as he fixes the last bed into place. It'd taken a while to make enough of these for the whole crew, but he could handle it. "It's not. Where do I sleep?" Minish asks. "The floor." Twilight replies instantly. Honestly, it's only fair - he may be able to claim his house for a while, but since he messed everything up in it, they've gotta get back at him somehow. "I'm not doing that. One of you guys should." Minish shakes his head. Oh no....can't he deal with the most simple of arrangements? The floor isn't even that hard! Try sleeping on prison metal for a change! And there _would_ be makeshift rugs on the ground, if only he hadn't moved them all to who knows where! Really, it's so - no, no, calm yourself, Cap. It isn't that big of a deal. 

Warriors raises his hand. "I can do it." 

"Are you sure? I'm fine with being on the floor." Twilight blinks, confused. "You're the Captain, you're not supposed to be sleeping on the floor. Besides, you need to take something for yourself every once in a while." Warriors explains. "I used to do this all the time back in the camps. It's fine." He shrugs. "Okay! Well, see you in the morning, when you're hopefully out of here." Minish smiles, falling back onto his bed. Twilight reluctantly climbs into his, knowing it should've been Warriors here.

He thought it might be easier to sleep here, without the creaking wood and the rocking boat. He was wrong. 

Windy and Sky are out like a light as soon as they hit the bed. Time and Legend are out within the next few hours. The trio takes a while to get settled, and so does Warriors, but they're all asleep before the stars come out. Minish is probably asleep, too, but he's facing the wrong way, so he can't tell. That makes him the only one awake, more or less. He's used to it. He shouldn't have to be used to it, but still.

Twilight is - exhausted. 

He wants nothing more than to absolutely crash, to just sleep for days on end. He wants the cut on his side to heal up. He wants Zelda to stop chasing them. He wants Midna to be able to be here with them. He wants this whole Minish fiasco to be over. All of them are vain hopes, surely. 

He...he wants Colin, too. He wants to hold his little brother closely, to parade him around the farm on his shoulders, to simply even spend a day playing tag, but he can't. He wants Rusl and Uli. He wants to have his dad - his _real_ dad ready to help him. Dad always knew what to do. And mom knew everything about living skills. There's so much he could've learned from them. And so much he lost.

Twilight wants to close his eyes. But does he really deserve a peaceful night, after all the times he messed up?

His vision threatens to close, nonetheless. He hasn't slept in two - hmm, maybe three? - days. Twilight knows he can't fight sleep forever. But like he'll if he's not gonna try. The benefits of sleep are much less than what comes with it. When he's asleep, everything he's too much of a coward to face in the day comes at him full force, and it's something he can't control, and Twilight _hates_ not being in control. 

He pulls the blanket closer. Don't show anything. Minish might still be awake, and you're not allowed to show weakness in front of him.

He surrenders to the darkness once more, terrified of what the night may bring.

What will it be this time? The Gunshot? Colin? All his friends leaving, one by one? He prepares himself. Though, there is no way to prepare for this. Nothing could possibly predict what would happen to be on his mind that night, and least of all himself.

It's mostly smooth sailing, at least until the twist comes in. There's always some kind of sick, twisted joke his dreams are trying to play on him. They'll let him be happy, but rest assured, it is only a fleeting moment. Then, it'll start the mocking. They'll use every form of irony in the book. Twilight knows he's stupid. But they have to make sure that he doesn't forget. It's a reminder of how he has failed, and how he will fail, and fail, and fail, again and again. A ruthless cycle of mistakes.

Finally, it'll be the moments leading up to something horrible. Everything will start to come crashing down, and there's nothing he can do to fix it. He'll watch in horror as his world falls apart. And then, he'll wake up, as usual in a cold sweat. He doesn't know why his nightmares don't let him experience the grand finale. Perhaps it is a point of entry for the next night? Who knows.

They couldn't possibly be trying to spare him out of some despair. His mind _loves_ doing that to him. He finds himself awake again. Not quite morning, but time has passed. Twilight rolls onto his back so he can sit up, trying to breathe better. It's always the trouble breathing, recently. Maybe it's a sign. Or maybe it's just sore from the scar on his side. Oh...he must've slept on it wrong. It's a lot more sore than it was.

"Din's sake.....you _knew_ that side was sore, Twi." He holds his forehead, angry once again at his mistake. "Who are you talking to?" Oh. Oh, right. Minish is on the bed opposite to his. And he's awake, apparently. Why? Never mind. Doesn't matter. "Nothing." He rubs at his eyes, feigning tiredness. Twilight is wide awake. He doubts he'll even close his eyes tonight.

"You've been talking for a while. It's distracting." Minish informs him. "Ah. I'm sorry - I do have a tendency to sleep talk. No one else seems to be bothered by it, though." Twilight explains, sitting up properly now. Minish pulls the blanket over his shoulders, trying to get settled. "I don't like you." The blonde is - quite direct. He figured that was true anyways.

"You think that you're the boss of everyone." Minish rants, and Twilight says nothing, simply rolling over to attempt to sleep again. "See - you're not even listening." Minish sighs. "I am. Continue." He says, realizing that sleep is a bad move at this point. He doesn't want to rob Minish of his rest. 

"You're - you're angry over everything. And you have to wait for Time or whatever to calm you down. You shouldn't be wasting his time like that. You were about to fight a child. Honestly...you're like a beast." He lets Minish decimate him with his words. And...Minish is right. He's heard every one of these before. Recently, even. 

His nightmare - his fear - Minish has informed him that it is too late.

He can't believe the ten year old is wiser than him.

Twilight's shoulders tense, and he can tell that his internal rage is building at every insult, but he will do everything to stop it, because if he didn't, then Minish would be right - and he'd also have proof. He'd be showing him exactly how correct he is. 

"I know." He replies solemnly.

"That's all you have to say? Really?" Minish scoffs. "Yes. I know all of those things. And I am trying." He sighs, not wanting to talk anymore. "Trying to be better? Why?" Minish almost has geninue curiosity in his tone. "Because my crew deserves better." He hasn't even looked at him, this whole time. 

"Your crew? Is that really what you call them?" Minish is confused, somehow. "Yes. I'd like to call them my family, but I'm a horrible big brother, so I can't use that yet." Twilight knows he's a horrible big brother - and he does have proof, actually. Go see the old farmhouse. That's evidence enough.

"I don't like you." Minish repeats. Twilight only sighs. "But.... even if you are horrible, I think the others _do_ like you." He continues. Twilight blinks. Is that...a compliment? If it is, it's worded oddly. "I can tell. They all care for you. Why, I have no clue, but they do. So I think that you should try to be better, definetly. Maybe you can give them something worthwhile in return." Minish yawns, getting ready to sleep again.

"How did you know do much about the inner workings of my friendships?" Twilight turns to him. "Because I have friends, stupid." Minish smirks. "And unlike you, I'm aware that they're real. Red, Blue, Violet, Shadow. They're all real, and they love me back." 

"Must be nice...." Twilight sniffles, turning his near-sob into a laugh to hide it. "Having everything figured out, at your age, especially." He chuckles. "It is. And I know what I'm doing next." Minish yawns again, heading off to sleep.

For some reason, Twilight finds it in himself to sleep as well.

....

"Hey, hey, wake up. You overslept."

"I don't wanna wake up, Uli." He mumbled, refusing to move. Such stranger words have never come from his mouth. He...doesn't want to wake up? Wasn't he the man that hated sleeping with such a passion? Perhaps a merciful dream does come about every once in a while. "I'm not Uli. This is Minish." His confused tone caught him off guard as he opened his eyes. "Oh...." Twilight flinched back, realizing what was going on. "How long was I out?" "Too long."

Twilight stands up, fixing his hair a bit. He reaches onto the floor, opening one of the stones that make it up. Minish gasped, blinking as he saw a bag come out of the compartment, seeming to jingle around with the motion. "Where - how did you?" He tilted his head, as if trying to judge how many coins might be in there. "There's a lot of things you don't know about this place. There's stuff like this everywhere." He tucks the bag onto his belt, smiling. Minish seems raring to go all of a sudden. Wait a minute...."Don't get any ideas. You've stolen enough from this place already." He huffed, almost glaring. Well, that seemed to work. Besides, if Minish hasn't discovered them yet, they must be hidden pretty well. 

He headed out deeper inside to see the others. "I'm heading out, do you guys want anything?" Twilight asked. Breakfast was not in progress, so maybe he could get them something nice. They haven't been docked here in ages, so he's almost forgotten about how good the food here was. "I need some string, my harp broke." Sky looks sadly down at the golden instrument - his prized possession, much like how Veteran is to Warriors. "Of course." Twilight would be happy to restore it for him. "The sewing needles are all on the big ship, and we tore my sail when we were going through that storm." Windy is trying to work on repairing his sail.

Oh, right. They had to use Windy's little sailboat to escape from the ship when it was caught by Zelda. That thing was so tiny compared to what he's used to - it's a wonder they didn't capsize before they got to the port. He's still peeved about losing his ship, but if they're going to get it back anytime soon, they need to repair Windy's first. That reminds him - what are they going to do about Wild? They couldn't take him with them, it wasn't worth it, but the thought of a man like him being free to the world, without any sort of leverage is terrifying. He should've had a better escape plan in the first place. And who knows what Wild could tell Zelda about the inner workings of their ship? He almost shudders, perish the thought. 

He'll get Wild back, though. His sentence isn't over yet.

"Alright. Anything else?" He looked towards the rest of them, changing the topic to get it off his mind. "Food!" Legend shouted instantly. "I honestly don't care what, I'm starving." Warriors added. "I'd like some chocolate, if it's okay?" Blaze added, showing input from the trio. Twilight nodded. "Time?" He turns his attention to his mentor. "I don't need anything - I'll be working on the plan. Are you sure it's okay for you to go out there?" Time looked up from his papers. "It's been months. They've probably forgotten all about me." Twilight insists. "I'm gonna go with em, anyways. I want a new sword, since I gotta give Wars back his, and a nice one too." Minish inputs. Ah, yes. Well, he can't kick him out of following him, so he's fine with that. "I suppose it's alright if you have assistance," Time sighs, "just be careful."

"I will." He smiled.

...

"You're so much nicer when you're talking to your friends." Minish points out, walking along the road.

"Yeah. They're great. It takes a while for me to be comfortable around people, but I care about them a lot." He beams every time he talks about them. It's almost redundant, but also very sweet. "Okay...I would make myself a good sword, but we don't have any materials. So the to do list is Food, string, sewing needles, and metal?" Minish counted on his fingers. "Do we...have enough for all that?" He then thinks of the price.

"Doesn't matter if we have enough." He smirked. Twilight may be honest, but he _has_ been the captain of a pirate ship for almost a year. Stealing a few groceries is nothing. "Time said to be careful." Minish warns. "And we will be! I take my crimes very seriously." He adds, and somehow he manages to not make it sound like a joke. "I....I like how you think. Even if this is an incredibly dumb idea." Minish lights up at the possibility to annoy people. 

"Two captains is always better than one," Twilight chuckles. "How did you know that?" Minish almost jumps. "I'm a good listener, Captain Green." Ah. So now it's his chance to get back at him for messing with his cave. With words. "H-hey! My name is Minish, I told you that!" He shouts back. "You did. And you lied." Twilight shrugs. "Curse you and your powers of perception." Minish scoffs. "I am an enigma." Twilight states proudly. "Sure you are,"

They get the food, the string and the needles without any hassle. But as they head to the metalworker's shop, they've run out of money. "Okay. Do you have the escape route ready?" Minish asks, turning to the older boy. "I know at least five ways we can get back to the cave from any point in Castle Town, so yes." Twilight smiles. "I just wanted to be sure. Y'see, this place used to be my Gramps' house, but I was too young to take up the estate, and this really snooty guy bought out the land. He...doesn't like to see my face around here. So - you should go in first." He pushes Twilight towards the door. "Wait, you're actually scared of something?" Twilight has to hold in his laugh. 

"I'm not scared of 'm! He's just - got a bunch of swords, and a guard, is all." Minish mumbles the last part almost nervously. "Well, we're Twilight and Captain Green. I think we can take these guys in a fight, whoever they are." He nods. "I hope you're not overconfident like Time says you are." The smaller boy sighs, opening the door. 

Oh, hey. He knows this guy. He used to give him panic attacks as a kid too, so it's fine. But he's an adult now, and this old man can't scare him anymore.

Well, almost an adult. He's seventeen. But still!

"Hello, I'd like some of your finest metal, sir." He introduces. Maybe, since it's been a few years, he won't recognize him. 

Twilight is wrong, as he is about most of his assumptions. 

"You two!!" The man bellows, and oh, he _knows_ who they are. Twilight motions for Minish to do the thing, and a few ingots appear in the kid's hands. "Uh, nice seeing you again!" He waves, instantly booking it for the door. "Follow me!" Twilight takes Minish's free hand and just starts bolting. "It's kinda hard not to with you yanking me around!" Minish yells back, rushing to keep up.

"Shit, he's behind us!" Minish panics, realizing how slow they're going. Looks like Twi's lagging behind thanks to his sore legs. "Up there! Follow along the rooftop!" Twilight picks the kid up, tossing him onto the roof of one of the buildings. They can't get him up there. Twilight will go along the long way. Turning on his heels as soon as they get to the alleyway, he dashes behind the guard, grabbing onto the ladder. Luckily, he's made it to the top before he can cut it down. Then he follows along the opposite pathway, catching up to Minish, who is struggling with the lock. Twilight flips it open for him, the two jump in, and the hatch slams shut. 

"Holy Nayru. You're good at this." Minish wheezes, happier than ever to be somewhere familiar. "I'm the best in my field, I guess." Twilight laughs, panting. If this were a normal day, he wouldn't have even broke a sweat. But he's proud that he managed to do a land operation after such a long time. "That was - really fun, actually. I missed doing stuff like this. Yknow, with other people." Minish smiles. "We do this all the time, back on the boat. If you wanna come?" Twilight adds. "Well, maybe. If I can put up with having to listen to you." Minish huffs. "No promises that I'll stay nice, but still." "Then I think we have a deal, Beast Sir." The kid laughs, holding it out for a handshake. "Of course."

Once they make their way through the tunnel, Time is confused as to why they're breathing so heavily- but decides not to question it, because they have a new member. 

Who knew the stowaway in the cave could be this great?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW I'VE BEEN WANTING TO POST THIS FOR FOREVER  
> I'm so sorry this took that long! I wanted it to be somewhat long, but in reality this chapter is only around 5k in length. Bratty Minish is so fun to write, and of course, testing out his dynamics with the gang was fun.


End file.
